revised 2/20/2018
Amanda L. Thompson
Department of Anthropology
University of North Carolina
301 Alumni Building, CB#3115
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Carolina Population Center
University Square, CB# 8120
137 East Franklin Street
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516
Telephone: 919-843-2060
E-mail: [email protected]
Education
2007 Ph.D, Anthropology, Emory University
Dissertation Title: “More than just birth weight: A longitudinal study of the reproductive ecology
of infant growth and development.”
2007 MPH, Public Nutrition/Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
1999 A.B., Anthropology, Harvard University (summa cum laude)
Professional Experience
7/2016-present Associate Chair, Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
1/2015-present Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
5/2016-present Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health,
Chapel Hill, NC
1/2019-present Faculty Research Director, Center for Galapagos Studies, University of North Carolina
1/2009-12/2014 Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
2009-present Fellow, Carolina Population Center
2007-12/2008 Postdoctoral Fellow, Interdisciplinary Obesity Center, University of North Carolina Chapel
Hill; Preceptors: Linda Adair and Kay Lund
2007-12/2008 Postdoctoral Scholar, Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill;
Preceptors: Linda Adair and Margaret Bentley
Honors and Awards
2019 Norman Kretchmer Memorial Award in Nutrition and Development, American Society for Nutrition
2014 Michael A. Little Early Career Award, Human Biology Association
2011 Fellow, Dannon Institute, Nutrition Leadership Institute
2007 Dean’s Teaching Fellowship, Emory University (declined)
2007 Graduate Symposium Paper Prize, Department of Anthropology, Emory University
1999 Phi Beta Kappa
1997-1999 John Harvard Scholarship and Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Scholarships
1995-1997 Harvard College Scholarship and Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Certificate of Merit
Memberships
Human Biology Association
American Society of Nutrition
American Association of Physical Anthropologists
Publications
Book Chapters
(Accepted) Thompson, Amanda L. Early gut microbiome: a good start in nutrition and growth may have lifelong
lasting consequences. How Fermented Foods Feed a Healthy Gut Microbiota. Eds. M. Andrea Azcarate-Peril,
Flavia R. F. Teles, José M. Bruno-Bárcena. Springer.
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2018 Thompson, Amanda and Katherine Barrett. Growth hormones. The International Encyclopedia of
Biological Anthropology, Wenda Trevathan (ed). John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118584538.ieba0156
2018 Thompson, AL and M.E. Bentley. Nutritional Issues in Medical Anthropology. International Encyclopedia
of Anthropology: Health, Illness and Medicine. Ed. Catherine Panter-Brick. John Wiley& Sons.
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118924396.wbiea1679
2011 Thompson, AL and P Gordon-Larsen. The Anthropology of Obesity. In The Oxford Handbook of the Social
Science of Obesity, ed. John Cawley. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pg. 60-86.
Refereed Papers and Articles
1. (in press) Johanna Ruth Jahnke, Kelly M Houck, Margaret E Bentley, Amanda L Thompson. Maternal,
Institutional, and Policy Factors Associated with Rising C-section Rates in Ecuador over 23 Years. Birth
2. Amanda L. Thompson. (2019) Caesarean delivery, inflammation and immune function in Ecuadorian
infants and young children. Journal of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.1-8.
3. Amanda L. Thompson, Kelly M. Houck, and Johanna R. Jahnke. (2019) Pathways linking Caesarean
delivery to early health in a dual burden context: immune development and the gut microbiome in infants
and children from Galapagos, Ecuador. American Journal of Human Biology. e23219. 12 pages.
4. Gao, W., Salzwedel, A.P., Carlson, A.L., Xia, K., Azcarate-Peril, M.A., Styner, M.A., Thompson, A.L.,
Geng, X., Goldman, B.D., Gilmore, J.H. and Knickmeyer, R.C., 2019. Gut microbiome and brain
functional connectivity in infants-a preliminary study focusing on the amygdala. Psychopharmacology:1-
11.
5. Nhan T. Ho, Fan Li, Kathleen A. Lee-Sarwar, Hein M. Tun, Bryan Brown,Pia S. Pannaraj, Lianna F.
Wood, Jeffrey M. Bender, Joanne E. Sordillo, Meghan B. Azad, Amanda L. Thompson, Scott T. Weiss,
M. Andrea Azcarate-Peril, Augusto A. Litonjua, Anita L. Kozyrskyj, Heather B. Jaspan, Grace M.
Aldrovandi, Louise Kuhn. (2018) Meta-analysis of effects of exclusive breastfeeding on infant gut
microbiota across populations. Nature Communications. 9(1), 4169.
6. Yosuke Inoue, Annie Green Howard, Amanda L. Thompson, Penny Gordon-Larsen. (2018) A secular
change in the association between urbanization and abdominal adiposity in China (1993 – 2011). Journal
of Epidemiology and Community Health.
7. Achsah F. Dorsey*, Amanda L. Thompson, Richard E. Kleinman, Christopher P. Duggan, Mary E.
Penny. (2018) Iron and Infection: An Investigation of the Optimal Iron Hypothesis in Lima, Peru.
American Journal of Human Biology. 30(3): e23114.
8. Katherine Barrett*, Heather Wasser, Amanda Thompson, and Margaret Bentley. (2018) Contributions of
Non-Maternal Caregivers to Infant Feeding. Maternal and Child Nutrition. e12610-e12610.
9. Alexander L. Carlson, Kai Xia, M. Andrea Azcarate-Peril, Barbara D. Goldman, Martin A. Styner,
Amanda L. Thompson, Xiujuan Geng, John H. Gilmore, Rebecca C. Knickmeyer. (2018) Gut
microbiome associated with cognitive outcomes and brain structure in human infants. Biological
Psychiatry. 83(2):148-159.
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10. Kay, Melissa C. Heather Wasser, Linda Adair, Amanda L. Thompson, Anna Maria Siega-Riz, Chirayath
Suchindran, Margaret Bentley. Consumption of obesogenic foods in non-Hispanic black mother-infant
dyads. (2018) Maternal & Child Nutrition. 14 (1): e12482.
11. Heather M. Wasser, Amanda L. Thompson, Chirayath M. Suchindran, Eric A. Hodges, Barbara D.
Goldman, Eliana M. Perrin, Myles S. Faith, Cynthia M. Bulik, M. Jane Heinig, Margaret E. Bentley.
(2017) Family-based Obesity Prevention for Infants: Design of the “Mothers & Others” Randomized
Trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 60: 24-33.
12. Kay, Melissa C. Heather Wasser, Linda Adair, Amanda Thompson, Anna Maria Siega-Riz, Chirayath
Suchindran, Margaret Bentley. (2017) Consumption of key food groups during the postpartum period in
low-income, non-Hispanic black mothers. Appetite. 117: 161-167.
13. Fei Dong, Annie Green Howard, Amy H. Herring, Amanda L. Thompson, Linda S. Adair, Barry M.
Popkin, Allison E. Aiello, Bing Zhang, Penny Gordon-Larsen. (2017) Longitudinal associations of diet,
screen time, and physical activity behaviors with cardiometabolic risk factors among Chinese children
and their parents. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 106(1), 168-178.
14. Yosuke Inoue; Annie Green Howard; Amanda L Thompson; Michelle A Mendez; Amy H Herring;
Penny Gordon-Larsen. (2017) A positive association between urbanization and reduced renal function:
Findings from the China Health and Nutrition Survey. BMC Nephrology. 18(1), 160
15. Arnold, Jason, Andrea Monteagudo-Mera, Eric Altermann, Maria Cadenas, Amanda Thompson, and M.
Andrea Azcarate-Peril. (2017) Genome sequence of potential probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus isolates
from human infants (genomeA00107-17). Genome Announcements. 5 (14), e00107-17
16. Dong, F., A. G. Howard, A. H. Herring, A. L. Thompson, L. S. Adair, B. M. Popkin, A. E. Aiello, B.
Zhang and P. Gordon-Larsen (2016). Parent–child associations for changes in diet, screen time, and
physical activity across two decades in modernizing China: China Health and Nutrition Survey 1991–
2009. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 13(1): 118.
17. Amanda L. Thompson, Elizabeth Koehler, Amy H. Herring, Lauren Paynter, Shufa Du, Bing Zhang,
Barry Popkin, and Penny Gordon-Larsen. (2016) Weight gain trajectories associated with elevated C-
reactive protein levels in Chinese adults. Journal of the American Heart Association. 5(9): e003262
18. Dong, F., Howard, A. G., Herring, A. H., Adair, L. S., Thompson, A. L., Popkin, B. M., Zhang B. and
Gordon‐Larsen, P. (2016). Concordance of haemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and C‐reactive protein
between children and their parents in Chinese households. Pediatric obesity. 12 (5), 422-430.
19. Katherine Barrett, Amanda L. Thompson and Margaret E. Bentley. (2016) The Influence of Maternal
Psychosocial Characteristics on Infant Feeding Styles. Appetite, 103: 396-402.
20. Fidelia A. A. Dake, Amanda L. Thompson, Shu Wen Ng, Samuel Agyei-Mensah, Samuel N. A. Codjoe.
(2016) The Local Food Environment and Body Mass Index among the Urban Poor in Accra, Ghana.
Journal of Urban Health. 1-18. doi: 10.1007/s11524-016-0044-y
21. Charles T. Wood, Krista M. Perreira, Eliana M. Perrin, H. Shonna Yin, Russell L. Rothman, Lee M.
Sanders, Alan M. Delamater, Margaret E. Bentley, Amanda L. Thompson. (2016) Confirmatory Factor
Analysis of the Infant Feeding Styles Questionnaire in Latino Families. Appetite. doi: 10.1016/
j.appet.2016.02.018.
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22. Hong Mei; Bingbing Guo; Linda Adair; Amanda Thompson; Baomin Yin; Xiong Liang; Jianduan
Zhang. (2015) Interactive effects of early exclusive breastfeeding and pre-pregnancy maternal weight
status on young children's BMI- a Chinese birth cohort. PLOS One 10(12): e0144357.
23. Thompson, Amanda L., L Adair, P Gordon-Larsen, B Zhang and B. Popkin. (2015) Environmental,
Dietary and Behavioral Factors Distinguish Chinese Adults with High Waist-to-Height with and without
Inflammation. Journal of Nutrition. 145:1335-1344.
24. Thompson, A.L., A. Monteagudo-Mera, M. B. Cadenas, M. Lampl, and M. A. Azcarate-Peril.(2015)
Milk- and solid-feeding practices and daycare attendance are associated with differences in bacterial
diversity, predominant communities, and metabolic and immune function of the infant gut microbiome.
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. 5:3. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2015.00003.
25. S Attard, A Herring, H Wang, A-G Howard, A.L. Thompson, L.S. Adair, E. J. Mayer-Davis, and P
Gordon-Larsen. (2015) Implications of iron deficiency/anemia on the classification of diabetes using
HbA1c. Nutrition and Diabetes. 5:e166; doi:10.1038/nutd.2015.16
26. Gordon-Larsen, P., Koehler, E., Howard A.G., Paynter, L., Thompson, A. L., Adair, L., Mayer-Davis,
E.J., Zhang, B., Popkin, B.M., Herring, A.H. (2014) Eighteen-year weight trajectories and metabolic
markers of diabetes in modernizing China. Diabetologia. 57:1820- 829.
27. Thompson, AL, KM Houck, LS Adair, P Gordon-Larsen, and B Popkin. (2014) Multilevel examination
of the association of urbanization with inflammation in Chinese adults. Health & Place. 28:177–186.
28. Thompson, AL, LS Adair, and ME Bentley. (2014) “Whatever average is:” understanding African-
American mothers' perceptions of infant weight, growth and health. Current Anthropology. 55: 348-355.
29. Thompson, AL, KM Houck, LS Adair, P Gordon-Larsen, S Du, B Zhang, and BM Popkin. (2014)
Associations between Pathogenic and Obesogenic Factors and Inflammation in Chinese children,
adolescents, and adults. American Journal of Human Biology. 26:18-28.
30. Thompson, AL and ME Bentley (2013) The critical period of infant feeding for the development of
early disparities in obesity. Social Science and Medicine. 97: 288-296.
31. Thompson, AL (2013) Intergenerational impact of maternal obesity and postnatal feeding practices on
pediatric obesity. Nutrition Reviews. 71: S55-S61.
32. Thompson, AL and M Lampl. (2013) Prenatal and postnatal energetic conditions and sex steroids levels
across the first year of life. American Journal of Human Biology. 25:643–654.
33. Turner, BL and AL Thompson (2013) Beyond the Paleolithic Prescription: Incorporating diversity and
flexibility in the study of human diet evolution. Nutrition Reviews. 7: 501-510. (lead article)
34. Wasser, HM*, AL Thompson, AM Siega-Riz, LS Adair, EA Hodges, ME Bentley. (2013) Who’s
feeding baby? Non-maternal involvement in feeding and its association with intakes of obesity-related
foods among infants and toddlers. Appetite.71: 7-15.
35. Thompson, AL, LS Adair and ME Bentley. (2013) Pressuring and restrictive feeding styles influence
infant feeding and size among a low-income African-American sample. Obesity. 21(3): 532-571.
36. Thompson, AL, LS Adair, and ME Bentley. (2013) Maternal characteristics and perception of infant
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temperament associated with television exposure in African-American infants. Pediatrics 131(2): e390-
e397.
37. Thompson, AL. (2012) Developmental origins of obesity: early feeding environments, infant growth and
the intestinal microbiome. American Journal of Human Biology. 24(3): 350-360.
38. Thompson, AL, PL Whitten, and M Lampl. (2011) Measurement of testosterone in infant fecal samples.
American Journal of Human Biology. 23(6): 820-22.
39. Wasser, H*, ME Bentley, J Borja, BD Goldman, AL Thompson, MM Slining and LS Adair. (2011)
Early patterns of feeding and the role of infant temperament: Are infants perceived as “difficult” more
likely to be fed complementary foods before 4 months? Pediatrics. 127: 229-237.
40. Thompson AL, PL Whitten, ML Johnson and M Lampl.(2010) Noninvasive methods for estradiol
recovery from infant fecal samples. Frontiers in Physiology. 1:148. doi:10.3389/fphys.2010 .00148. 8
pages.
41. Thompson AL, MA Mendez, JB Borja, LS Adair, CR Zimmer and ME Bentley. (2009) Development
and validation of the Infant Feeding Style Questionnaire. Appetite. 53(2): 210-221.
42. Lampl M and AL Thompson. (2007) Growth chart curves do not describe individual growth biology.
American Journal of Human Biology. 19(5): 643-653.
43. Lampl M, AL Thompson, and EA Frongillo. (2005) Sex differences in the relationships among weight
gain, subcutaneous skinfolds and saltatory length growth spurts in infancy. Pediatric Research 58(6):
1238-1242.
44. Sellen D, AL Thompson, D Hruschka, A Stein, and R Martorell. (2005) Early determinants of non-
exclusive breast feeding among Guatemalan infants. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology.
534: 299-301.
Selected Published Abstracts and Refereed Presentations (since 2009)
2018 Thompson, A.L., Houck, K and J.R. Jahnke. Pathways linking birth practices and early health: Immune
development and the gut microbiome. American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
2018 *Houck, Kelly, Thompson, A. L., & Sorensen, M. V. Immunoregulatory effects of childhood
endotoxemia on total-IgE response: Implications for the hygiene hypothesis from Galapagos, Ecuador.
American Journal of Human Biology. 30(2).
2018 *Owens, C., Houck, K. M., Barrett, K. J., Thompson, A. L., & Sorensen, M. V. Effects of psychosocial
stress and BMI on c-reactive protein in a student sample. American Journal of Human Biology. 30(2).
2017 Thompson, A. L.,* Jahnke, H. R., & *Houck, K. M. Birth practices and infant immune development in
Ecuador. American Journal of Human Biology. 29(2).
2017 *Barrett, K. J., Thompson, A. L., Perreira, K., & Bentley, M. E. The impact of social support on infant
feeding outcomes among Latino families in North Carolina. American Journal of Human Biology. 29(2).
2017 *Dorsey, A., Thompson, A. L., Penny, M., Kleinman, R., & Duggan, C. Iron and morbidity among
toddlers in Lima, Peru. American Journal of Human Biology. 29(2).
2017 *Godinez, I, LS Adair and AL Thompson. Genetic risk, salt consumption, and effects on blood pressure
in Filipino women. American Journal of Human Biology. 29(2).
2017 *Houck, K., Thompson, A. L., & Sorensen, M. (2017, March). Effects of early life fecal pathogen
exposure on the gut microbiome in children from Galapagos, Ecuador. American Journal of Human
Biology. 29(2).
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2017 *Riggle K., A.L. Thompson, P Mugwaneza, A Asiimwe, EA Bobrow. Maternal knowledge of HIV and
breastfeeding practices in Kigali, Rwanda. American Journal of Human Biology. 29(2).
2017 *Wilbur, R., Aiello, A. E., & Thompson, A. L. The impact of social determinants of health on
gastrointestinal infectious disease burden: Results from the China Health and Nutrition Survey. American
Journal of Human Biology. 29(2).
2017 Dong, F., Howard, A. G., Herring, A., Adair, L., Thompson, A., Popkin, B., ... & Gordon-Larsen, P.
Longitudinal Associations of Diet, Screen Time, and Physical Activity Behaviors With Cardiometabolic
Risk Factors Among Chinese Children and Their Parents. Circulation. 35 (Suppl 1), AP281-AP281.
2016 AL Thompson. Understanding child obesity risk at the household level: The influence of parental and
grandparental health beliefs and practices in Chinese families. American Journal of Physical
Anthropology. 159 (S82):313.
2016 *Houck, KM, Thompson AL, and MV Sorensen. E. coli exposure, intestinal barrier function and immune
health in Galapagos, Ecuador. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 159 (S82):178.
2016 * KJ Barrett, AL Thompson, HM Wasser, ME Bentley. The influence of caregiver feeding styles on
infant dietary outcomes. 28(2): 268.
2016 *Houck, KM, Thompson AL, and MV Sorensen. Childhood intestinal health, immune function and the
gut microbiome in Galapagos, Ecuador. American Journal of Human Biology. 28(2): 281.
2016 *JR Jahnke, KM Houck1, ME Bentley and AL Thompson Social and economic change and rising rate of
caesarean- section deliveries in Ecuador. American Journal of Human Biology. 28(2): 282.
2015 Thompson, A.L, KM Houck. Trajectories of pathogenic and obesogenic exposures and current
inflammation in Chinese children and adults. American Journal of Human Biology. 27(2):271.
2015 *Houck K, Thompson A, Sorensen M. Exploring the effects of energy reserves in modifying tradeoffs
between immunostimulation and growth in children from Galapagos, Ecuador. American Journal of
Human Biology. 27(2):271.
2015 *Chamberlain, BG, AL Thompson, and ME Bentley Understanding differences between infant feeding
knowledge and behaviors amonglow-income African American mothers. American Journal of Human
Biology. 27(2):289.
2015 Thompson AL, KM Houck, L Adair, P Gordon-Larsen, B Popkin. Household-level Analysis of Shared
and Unique Predictors of Central Obesity in Chinese Children and Adults. FASEB Journal,
29(Supplement): 252.7.
2015 *Houck K, Thompson A, Sorensen M. Effects of Early Life Pathogenic Exposures and Obesity on
Childhood Inflammation Levels in Galapagos, Ecuador. FASEB Journal, 29(Supplement): 252.7.
2014 *Houck K, Thompson A, Sorensen MV. Household patterns of inflammation and overnutrition among
children and mothers on San Cristobal, Galapagos. Presented December 2014 at the American
Anthropological Association’s Annual Meeting in Washington DC.
2014 Thompson, AL, KM Houck, L Adair, P Gordon-Larsen and B Popkin. Risk factors for moderate
inflammation in Chinese adults with and without central obesity. Presentation, American Society for
Nutrition, Experimental Biology Annual Meetings, April 2014, San Diego, CA
2014 Thompson AL. The intestinal microbiome in nutrition and metabolism. (Plenary Talk). American
Journal of Human Biology. 26(2): 283.
2014 *Houck, KM, AL Thompson and MV Sorensen. Dual burden impact of obesity status and
E. coli exposure on childhood CRP levels in the Galapagos, Ecuador. American Journal of Human
Biology. 26(2): 268.
2013 Thompson AL and ME Bentley. Inequality and the development of early life disparities in obesity: the
role of food insecurity and household composition. Talk at the American Anthropology Association
Annual Meeting. November 2013, Chicago, IL.
2013 Thompson AL, S Du, B Zhang, and J Li. Pathogenic and obesogenic pathways to inflammation in
Chinese children and adults. American Journal of Human Biology 25(2): 277.
2012 * Houck, KM and AL Thompson. Obesity, behavior and the built environment: Impacts of Western fast
food on childhood overweight and obesity in China. American Journal of Human Biology. 24(2):210.
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2011 * Hill, Sherika N., AL Thompson, and ME Bentley. Out-of-home care is a risk factor for early childhood
obesity in a low-income, minority population.” Poster presented at the Obesity Society. October, 2011,
Orlando, FL.
2011 Thompson, AL, M Lampl and MA Azcarate-Peril. Developmental microbial ecology: the effects of age
and diet on the establishment of intestinal microflora in infants. American Journal of Human Biology.
23(2): 280.
2011 *Houck, K and AL Thompson. Investigating childhood nutritional status and urbanization in China:
What’s happening in transitional neighborhoods? American Journal of Human Biology. 23(2): 261.
2010 Thompson, AL, L Adair, and ME Bentley. Maternal feeding styles, infant feeding and the development
of overweight in African American infants. American Journal of Human Biology 22(2): 272.
2010 *Edens, B, AL Thompson, LJ Richardson. Body Mass Index, Body Image, and the Weight-Related
Health Behaviors of Postpartum African American Women. Student paper presented at the Southern
Demographic Association Annual Meetings. October 2010. Knoxsville, TN.
2010 Armelagos, G, AL Thompson, AR Campbell and J Edwards. Tetracycline and anemia in ancient
Sudanese Nubian Populations. Paleopathology Annual Meetings, April 2010. Albuquerque, NM.
2009 Thompson, AL and M Lampl. Sex differences in infant growth and body composition: implications for
the developmental origins of adult reproductive function. 6th World Congress of the Developmental
Origins of Health and Disease. November, 2009. Santiago, Chile.
2009 Thompson, AL, L Adair and ME Bentley. Maternal perception of infant size, feeding practices, and
weight gain in African–American infants. American Journal of Human Biology (21)2: 271.
2009 *Merritt, C and AL Thompson. Lifestyle factors and obesity risk in China: are rural areas becoming more
urban-like. Student paper presented at the Southern Demographic Association Annual Meetings. October
2009. Galveston, TX.
Unrefereed Works
2015 Thompson, A. L., Review of [Childhood Obesity in America: Biography of an Epidemic. By Laura
Dawes. 320 pp. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 2014.]. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 27: 147–148.
doi: 10.1002/ajhb.22662
2007 Thompson, Amanda L. and Bethany L. Turner. Recruiting undergraduates to biological anthropology:
Using PBL/ICBL as gateways. Anthropology News. 48(4): 34.
Grants and Fellowships
Pending
Submitted NSF Senior Award, Biological Anthropology.
Current
2017-2019 NIH/FIC (1R21TW010832-01). Water, Food, and the Triple Burden of Disease in the Galapagos,
Ecuador. (Role: PI, $273,122 direct cost). 15% effort.
2014-2019 NIMH R01Gut-Microbiome-Brain Interactions and Mental Health. Role: Investigator. (PI:
Rebecca Santelli) ($681,909)
2015-2019 NIH-NIDDKD Transition to a Western diet and cardiometabolic risk: Biomarkers derived from
the microbiome. Role: Investigator (PI:Gordon-Larsen) $659,008
Completed
* denotes student first author
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2012-2016 NIH/NICHD K01 HD071948-01 K01 Career Development Award, “Environmental Change and
Inflammation: Age, Cohort and Household Effects in China.” Role: PI. ($337, 951 direct). 75%
effort.
2012-2018 NIH/NICHD R01, “Mothers and Others: Family-based Obesity Prevention for Infants and
Toddlers.” Role: Investigator (2015-2018). (PI: Margaret E. Bentley; $2,981,380 total direct and
indirect). 5% effort.
2012-2017 NIH/NHLBI (R01-HL108427). Emergence of Cardiometabolic Risk across the Lifecycle in
China. Role: Investigator (2015-2017). (PI: Penny Gordon-Larsen). ($1,897,952 direct). 5%
effort.
2015-2018 University Research Council, “Exploring the Impacts of Caesarian Sections on Infant Health and
Development: A Pilot Project in the Galapagos Islands.” Role: P1, ($7492 direct). 0% effort.
2015-2016 Interdisciplinary Initiatives Grant Award, Measuring Social Resilience in Rural Mozambique.
Role: Co-PI with Clark Gray, Geography, ($7000 direct). 0% effort.
2014-2015 Explorations in Global Health Grant Program, “A Pilot Study on the Impact of Intestinal
Infections on the Gut Microbiota in Children on San Cristοbal Island, Galápagos” Role: Co-PI,
with Kelly Houck, Anthropology; ($6100 direct). 0% effort.
2013-2014 Carolina Population Center, Seed Grant, “Examining the Impact of Caesarian Section on Infant
Health in China: Pilot and Feasibility Study,” Role: co-PI with Linda Adair, Margaret Bentley,
and Michelle Mendez, Nutrition, ($19,127 direct) 0% effort.
2013-2015 Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) Pilot and Feasibility Grant, Gillings School of Global
Public Health, UNC Chapel Hill, “The development of the intestinal microbiome and SCFA
production in Chinese infants,” (Role:PI; $19,900; direct). 0% effort.
2013 IBM Junior Faculty Development Grant, “Intergenerational transmission of obesity risk: maternal
obesity, infant feeding, and the development of the intestinal microbiome.” Role: PI. ($7500
direct). 0% effort.
2012 Foundation of Hope for the Research and Treatment of Mental Illness. Gut Microbiota and Brain
Development in One-Year-Old Healthy Infants. Role: Co-investigator (PI: Xiujuan Geng,
Department of Psychiatry, UNC). ($40,000 direct). 0% effort.
2010-2012 University Research Council, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Infant feeding and the
development of the intestinal microbiota in the first 15 months: effects of age and diet on
bifidobacteria colonization.” Role: PI. ($4800 direct).
2010-2012 NIH/NIDDK (1R21DK089306-01), Heterogeneity in Cardiometabolic Risk with Obesity: Who
Is at Risk? Role: Investigator (PI: Penny Gordon-Larsen, UNC). ($300,000 direct). 10% effort.
2010 Summer-in-Residence, Grant Writing Fellowship, Carolina Population Center ($15,000 direct)
2009 Center for Global Initiatives, Curriculum Development Grant, University of North
Carolina, ($2000 direct)
2008-2010 Center for Excellence in Children’s Nutrition Small Grants Program (sponsored by Mead
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Johnson), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “Infant Feeding, Growth and the
Development of the Intestinal Microbiota in the first 15 months.” Role: PI. ($30,000 direct) 0%
effort.
2006-2007 Woodruff Fund Award, Robert H. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory University; “Early
Infancy Predictive Health Modeling: Biological Marker Extraction, Identification, and
Projection” Co-PI (with: Michelle Lampl, Emory University) ($10,000 direct) 0% effort.
Invited Talks
2018 “Big Data Approaches to the First 1000 Days.” Nutrition Department Mini-Symposium: Building Better
Babies,” April 2, 2018, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC.
2017 “Evolutionary Medicine in the First 1000 Days.” Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine, September
9, 2017. NC Museum of Natural History. Raleigh, NC.
“Birth Practices and Infant Health in San Cristobal,” The 2nd Galápagos Conservation and Research
Symposium, Charles Darwin Convention Center, San Cristobal, Galapagos, Ecuador. July 11, 2017,
2016 “Complementary Feeding and the Path to Childhood Obesity.” XI Nestlé Nutrition Conference:
Complementary Feeding: a piece of the puzzle to understand future health. Mexico City, Mexico.
November 14, 2016.
“Birth, Feeding, and environmental Influences on the Infant microbiome: Consequences for health and
disease.” Maternal and Child Health Nutrition Council Quarterly Webinar, January 21, 2016.
2015 “Early Infant Feeding Influences on the Infant Microbiome.” National Maternal Nutrition Intensive Course
(MNIC), University of Minnesota, August 13, 2015.
2014 “Biological and behavioral pathways to obesity: fecal hormones, the microbiome, and early feeding
Environments” Department of Nutrition Seminar Series, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC,
Novemeber 14, 2014.
“The early feeding environment: biological and behavioral influences on the development of obesity.”
Developmental Psychology Seminar Series, Department of Psychology, UNC September 10, 2014.
“Environments, Nutrition, and Inflammation in Chinese Children and adults,” Carolina Asia Center,
UNC, April 15, 2014
2013 “Maternal feeding styles and practices: Influence on child nutrition and obesity.” CVD
Epidemiology Seminar Series, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC, October 8, 2013.
“Early life origins of obesity” School of Public Health, Tongji Medical School, Wuhan, China,
August 1, 2013.
“Early life origins of obesity: Biological and behavioral pathways” Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia, Nutrition Seminar Series, May 21, 2013
“Environmental predictors of inflammation in Chinese children and adults” Carolina Population
Center, UNC, Friday Seminar Series, February 1, 2013.
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2012 “Maternal obesity and offspring feeding patterns,” IX Nestle Nutrition Conference: Maternal
Obesity: Reproduction, Pregnancy and Offspring Outcomes. Mexico City, Mexico. November 9, 2012.
“Impact of urbanizing environments on patterns of inflammation,” FASEB (Federation for
American Societies for Experimental Biology) Scientific Research Conference “From Causes to
Consequences and Treatment: Obesity in Perspective,” Snowmass, Colorado, August 6, 2012
“Inflammation: why it matters and some measurement options,” UNC & CCDC China Health and
Nutrition Survey: International Workshop on Study Design, Suzhou City, China, May 30, 2012.
“Predictors of Inflammation in Chinese Children and Adults,” UNC and Chinese Centers for
Disease Control China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) Symposium on Nutrition and Chronic
Disease, Beijing, China, May 21, 2012.
2011 “The Early Feeding Environment and Infant Growth: Intergenerational Impacts on Obesity Risk,”
Predicting Lifespan Health Conference, Emory University, February 18, 2011.
2009 “Feeding styles and parenting: influences on toddler dietary intake and weight status” (with
Margaret Bentley and Linda Adair). The Center for Excellence in Pediatric Nutrition Symposium on
“Early life influences on young child feeding and dietary intake patterns.” University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. December 15, 2009.
2008 “Biological, Behavioral, and Evolutionary Perspectives on Infant Growth and Development,"
Carolina Population Center Friday Seminar; February 15, 2008.
2007 “A historical perspective on the study of infant feeding in human biology” The Rank Prize Funds Mini-
Symposium on The Origins of the Science and Practice of Infant and Child Nutrition and Feeding;
Windermere, England; October 8, 2007.
Teaching Activities (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Courses Taught
ANTH 143: Human Evolution and Adaptation
ANTH 318: Human Growth and Development in Comparative Perspective
ANTH 319: Global Health
ANTH 217: Human Biology in Comparative Perspective
ANTH 499: Human Disease Ecology
ANTH 471: Biocultural Perspectives on Maternal and Child Health
ANTH 704: Graduate Core Course in Evolution and Ecology
ANTH 897: Human Biology and Population Health (grad-level)
ANTH 898: Human Growth and Development (grad-level)
Student Mentoring and Advising
Doctoral Committees
Chair
Kelly Houck, Anthropology (co-chair), awarded December 2017, “A New Dual Burden Life History Theory
Application Exploring Childhood Gut Immune Function and Overnutrition in the Galapagos”
Katherine Barrett, Anthropology (chair), expected August 2019
Achsah Dorsey, Anthropology (chair), expected May 2020
Isaura Godinez, Anthropology (advisor), expected May 2020
Hannah Janhke, Anthropology (chair), expected May 2020
A.L. Thompson
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Kari Riggle, Anthropology (advisor), expected May 2022
Rachel Wilbur, Anthropology (advisor), expected May 2022
Khristopher Nicholas, Nutrition, expected May 2022 (CPC Preceptor and Co-Chair)
Ann Suk, Anthropology (co-advisor), expected May 2023
Member
Qiang Fu, Sociology, Duke University (member), completed May 2015
Sara Juengst, Anthropology (member), completed May 2015
Sherika Hill, Maternal and Child Health (member), completed May 2013, “Early Child Care and
Weight Outcomes Among Low-Income African-Americans.”
Marianne Reeves, Anthropology (member), completed May 2013, “Profiling Metabolic Stress in
Medieval Denmark: An Analysis of Internal and External Defects.”
Heather Wasser, Nutrition (member), completed December 2012, “Non-maternal Involvement in
Feeding and the Development of Obesogenic Diets Among Infants and Toddlers”
Fei Dong, Nutrition (member), completed August 2016
Malena Rousseau, Anthropology (member), completed May 2017
Emma Tzioumis, Nutrition (member), completed May 2017
Melissa Cunningham Kay, Nutrition (member), completed May 2017
Sama Hammad, School of Nursing (member), completed May 2017
Taylor Livingston, Anthropology (member), completed August 2017
Basma Alyazeedi, Nursing (member), completed May 2018
Sophie Dent (member), Anthropology, expected May 2019
Masters Thesis (terminal MS, MPH, MA)
Member
Emily Rossi, MPH, May 2018 (Research Preceptor)
Kayla Boley, MS, Nutrition, May 2018
Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Chair
Elijah Watson, 2019, Thesis: “Social Predictors of Diet Quality in Galapagos, Ecuador”
Archita Chandra, 2017, Thesis: “Examining the Use of Biomedicine and Folk Medicine across
Socioeconomic Factors and Health in China”
Hayley Conyers, 2017, Thesis: “Lo Tiempo Mas Largo: A cross-cultural analysis of nausea, vomiting, and
diet change during early pregnancy in North Carolina”
Sara Khan, 2016, Thesis: “White School Uniforms and Development Theory: How Menstrual Hygiene
Management Became an International Issue for Female Education”
Bailey Minish, 2014. Thesis: “The Effects of Different Types of Childbirth Experiences in White,
Middle Class Women in Western North Carolina”
Rachel Green, Anthropology, 2013. Thesis: “The Hunger-Obesity Paradox: How Food Insecurity
and Weight Status Influence Dietary Patterns in African American Women of North Carolina”
Abby Halpern, Anthropology, 2013. Thesis: “Biocultural Perspectives on the Cost of “Perfecting”
Pregnancy in White, Middle Class American Women”
Kavya Sekar, Anthropology, 2013. Thesis: “Assessing the Health Impact of India’s Inequalities:
Child Malnutrition in Rural Chhattisgarh, India”
Cora Wilen, Global Studies, 2013: Thesis: “The 95%: Why Women Embrace Diets That Don't
Work”
Matthew O’Neill, Anthropology, 2012. Thesis: “C-Reactive Protein and Anthropometric Correlates
Among Yakut Children”
Sophia Duong, Health Policy and Administration, 2011. Thesis: “Mass Media Use and Unhealthy
Eating Behaviors in Chinese Adolescents” (co-advisor)
A.L. Thompson
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Reader
Norman Archer, Nutrition 2018
Caroline Owens, Anthropology 2018
Jonathan (Taylor) Wall, Anthropology, 2017
Katie Reinberger, Anthropology, 2014
Betsy Pleasants, Anthropology, 2014
Sydney Hartsell, Interdisciplinary Studies, 2012
Megan Howard, Anthropology, 2012
Amy Anderson, Archaeology, 2012
Caitlin Smith, Archaeology, 2011
Alyssa Tilly, Anthropology, 2009
Professional Experience and Activities
2009- 2012 Faculty Fellow, Inter-Disciplinary Obesity Center (IDOC), Carolina Population Center,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (invited)
2009-2012 Preceptor, Maternal and Child Obesity Pre-doctoral Training Program, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill (invited)
2005-2007 Student Executive Board Member, Biological Anthropology Section, American Anthropological
Association
Service
Discipline
Editorial Board Member, American Journal of Human Biology, 2015-
Editorial Board Member, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2019-
Editorial Board Member, Annals of Human Biology, 2017-
Editorial Board Member, Subject Editor, Journal of Biosocial Science 2018-
Advisory Board Member, Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine
Advisory Board Member, University of Florida Press book series, Bridging Anthropological Perspectives on
Health and Well-Being
Executive Committee Program Chair, (elected) Human Biology Association, 2015-2019
Nominations and Elections Committee, Human Biology Association, 2012-2014
Program Committee, Human Biology Association, 2010-2012
Reviewer, Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), National Science Foundation
Reviewer, Biological Anthropology Senior Panel, National Science Foundation
Ad Hoc Grant Reviewer, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institute for
Health Research
Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer, American Journal of Human Biology, American Journal of Physical
Anthropology, Current Anthropology, Annals of Human Biology, Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health,
Lancet, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Journal of Nutrition, PNAS, Health and Place,
Pediatrics, International Journal of Obesity, Pediatric Obesity, PLOS One, Appetite, Annals of
Behavioral Medicine, Journal of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Circulation,
American Journal of Epidemiology, Public Health Nutrition, and Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health.
Ad Hoc Book Reviewer, Routledge Press.
Department of Anthropology
Associate Chair, 2016-2019
Associate Director of Graduate Studies, 2014-2016
Department IRB Liaison, 2010-2014
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Curriculum Committee, 2012-2013
Graduate Studies Committee, 2011- 2012
Committee Member, Graduate Admissions Committee, 2010, 2013-2017
Committee Member, Communications Committee, 2009-2011
Committee Member, Governance Committee, 2009
Department of Nutrition Faculty Development Committee, 2017-present
Nutrition Epidemiology Division PhD Exam Committee, 2018
Carolina Population Center
Committee Member, Training Program Committee, 2009-present
University Curriculum 2019 Committee, Spring 2017
Grant reviewer, Graduate School
Internal reviewer, INCLUDES grant panel
Board member, Galapagos Science Center
Faculty Council, Social Science Untenured Representative, July 2013-June 2016